Olympic Notes: Annual Residence Expenses Cost Of IOC President Is More Than $700,000

The annual cost of an IOC president has shot through the $700,000 barrier. Former IOC President Jacques Rogge's residence expenses amounted to $751,000 in '11 and $709,000 in '12. Apart from these expenses, which cover room rent, living costs, residence taxes and insurance -- and add up to not far off $2,000 a day -- the IOC presidency "is an unremunerated position" (INSIDE THE GAMES, 9/25). ... Ongoing talks between two int'l taekwondo bodies on allowing North Koreans to compete in the Olympic Games "could wrap up sometime next year." World Taekwondo Federation President Choue Chung-won said that "his organization has held talks with the North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation on letting athletes compete in each other's events."
Currently, only the global body is sanctioned by the IOC, while the North's organization "is not recognized by the Olympic committee" (YONHAP, 9/25).